The Rescue of Lt Natasha Yar
by Pixel and Stephanie Forever
Summary: Picard receives news that Natasha Yar is not dead. But when he presents his evidence to Starfleet and the Federation, they decide to leave Yar with the Romulans. An angry, Picard and crew disobey orders and take the Enterprise in order to save Lt Yar
1. Infomation

It was very rare for the captain to ask for this sort of duty, but it had been requested in the correct manner. Captain Jean-Luc Picard sat in the command chair of the _USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D_, and watched as the stars moved on the main viewscreen due to another course change. Not many people asked to be given the Romulan Neutral Zone patrol duty, but Picard had asked for and received it.

"Captain?" it was his Operations officer, the android Data.

"Yes, Mr Data?" asked Picard.

"I am tracking a small vessel which has just dropped out of warp. It wishes to talk with you" Data said, consulting his panel.

"What is the name of the ship?" Picard asked.

"It is called '_Red Arrow_'. The Captain has asked to speak with you in private" Data said, reading new text on his screen.

"Put it through to my Ready Room" Picard ordered, "You have the bridge, Number One" this last was directed at William T Riker – Picard's First Officer.

"Aye sir" and Picard entered his Ready Room. Riker was puzzled in that Picard had not ordered Yellow Alert when the ship came out of warp, and that meant that Picard was expecting it. Was it some secret courier with dispatches that couldn't be transmitted by subspace? Whatever it was, the Captain was in the Ready Room for half an hour before he came back again.

"Ensign Ro. Set course for Earth. Maximum Warp" and the Bajoran at the helm tapped at her controls.

"Course laid in, sir" she reported.

"Engage" Picard said, making a shooting motion with his fingers. The _Enterprise_ turned round and headed for Sector 001 – Earth. Once underway, Picard ordered that all of the senior crew met in the conference room and Beverley Crusher was the last to enter – having treated a few people in sickbay.

"Sorry I'm late" she said to Picard. Picard waited until she was seated to begin talking.

"The reason I have called you all here is because I have been given information about a Starfleet officer who has been captured by Romulans. The officer was captured in an ambush by Romulan forces" the captain said.

"There have been no known attacks by the Romulans" Data said automatically.

"No" the Picard said, "Not recently. This took place twenty years ago aboard an _Ambassador_ class starship" and predictably, Riker was the first to speak.

"The only known ship attacked by Romulans twenty years ago was…" he paused as the commander's mind suddenly filled in the gap. "The _Enterprise-C _and people stared at their captain with puzzlement on their faces. Even Worf looked surprised as he believed that Romulans did not take many prisoners.

"Who is the officer?" the Klingon's deep voice rumbled.

"Her name" Picard said hesitating for several moments "Is Lt Natasha Yar" and every one of the senior staff's jaws dropped – except Data of course.

"But how?" Troi asked, delicate features crossing with confusion.

"During the Klingon Civil War" Picard explained, "Sela came aboard and informed me that she was the daughter of Lt Yar. It involves a temporal anomaly which Guinean can explain and confirm" and there was silence. "Sela told me that her mother was killed whilst trying to escape, but I have made many contacts during my years of service. The ship we encountered brought me the final confirmation I needed. The _Red Arrow_ transmitted data that could not be transmitted to Starfleet command for fear of interception by Romulan agents" he finished.

"Why are we heading to Earth?" asked Geordi, frowning behind his VISOR.

"I intend to present this information to Starfleet HQ, and ask them to request Lt Yar's return to the Federation" Picard said. Silence reigned as they thought about their colleague and Geordi was the first to speak once more.

"I think that I might be able to make the warp drive go a few more points" he said, and headed to the door.

"Bless you, Geordi" Picard whispered. "I expect that there will be a lot of haggling and dealing over Lt Yar, so we must go over the data and make our best case" Picard looked at his first officer. "Number one, you and Data will go over what I receive and make the best possible case" and a few moments later the meeting broke up and Picard was left to look at the stars and hope for the best.

**A/N:**

**A new fic to add to my collection. This fic is dedicated to another user on here:- budrick1701-e. A fellow Star Trek fan.**

**I hope that the rest of you like it as well. In the next chapter, Picard… does a Admiral Kirk… (think ST III)**

**Regards:**

**Pixel**


	2. Violating Orders

Picard was not used to waiting for much at all Being the Commanding Officer of the Federation flagship allowed him to bypass many things that would block other Captains. This was one time when Picard didn't get past these blocks. He was sat outside the office of the Federation President, and waiting for something to happen. He was just about to call the _Enterprise_ to beam him inside when the doors slid open and closed again.

"I'm sorry, Jean Luc" a tall prim faced Admiral said, "But the risks are too great"

"Request permission to lead a covert force inside Romulan territory" Picard said, jumping to attention and looking forwards.

"Request denied" Admiral Alynna Nechayev said.

"In that case, Admiral" Picard said carefully, "I wish to make a formal protest" and Nechayev snorted.

"Be it on your own head, Picard" she said. "Your protest is noted. These are your orders" she continued, handing over a PADD. "You are to go to McKinley Station for re-supply and then you will go to the Roddenberry system and do a complete scan of every planet" Picard looked at the PADD and then up to Nechayev's eyes.

"Yes, Ma'am" he said, and spun on his heel and left for the nearest transporter pad.

#

As he beamed aboard the _Enterprise_ the senior staff was stood waiting for him in the Transporter room. They only had to read the look on Picard's face to know that the meeting did not go well.

"No then?" Data asked, more for confirmation then anything else.

"I took it all the way to the President, but I got the same message" Picard said, leading the way out of the Transporter room and they ended up in his quarters.

"What do we do then?" asked Riker.

"The ever friendly Admiral Nechayev has ordered us to be re-supplied at McKinley Station, and then go to the Roddenberry system and do a complete survey of the planets" Picard shook his head sadly.

"So we just give up?" asked Troi.

"We will proceed to McKinley Station and re-supply" Picard said.

"Captain" Worf rumbled, "I can not believe that we are running away from the chance to get our friend back" and Picard was thoughtful for a moment. Each member of the senior staff was looking at him – their leader – and wondered what he was thinking of.

"If – in theory – I was to take the _Enterprise_ into Romulan territory, who would come with me?" he asked. Picard looked at his first officer, "Will?" he asked.

"Aye, sir" Riker said.

"Data?"

"Aye, Sir"

"Geordi?"

"Aye, Sir"

"Worf?"

"Aye, sir"

"Beverly?

"Aye, sir"

"Deanna?"

"Aye, sir"

"Ensign?" this last was directed to Ensign Ro.

"You saved me from the stockade" Ro said, "Guess it's my time to pay you back" she shrugged "I'm in" and Picard couldn't help but smile.

"Let the record show that the decision was made by everyone" Picard said proud his crew had not made any objections.

"What about the crew?" Geordi asked, "Somebody is bound to object" he pointed out.

"We off load them at McKinley Station with orders not to reveal what he or she knows for 24 hours" Riker suggested.

"I'll make an announcement after we have departed McKinley" Picard said, "That way we simply beam them over and Warp out". Later while Picard was alone in his Ready Room, the captain thought about what he was about to do. In his entire career with Starfleet, he had never disobeyed an order like this. He might have bent one or two a little bit, but taking the _Enterprise_ into Romulan space could cause war to break between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. This was possibly the hardest decision that he could ever make as Captain. Riker interrupted his thoughts with a message telling Picard that they where ready to leave. Picard stood up and walked out onto the bridge – thoughts running through his head about how the news would be received. Data and Ro sat in front as normal, and Worf was manning tactical.

"We're floating free and ready to depart McKinley Station" Riker said, vacating the "hot seat" and moving to the First Officer's place.

"Are all the civilians offloaded?" Picard asked, sitting into his seat and listening to last minute checks.

"All but one" Riker said.

"I ordered all civilians to leave the ship" Picard said sternly.

"If I leave, then who will pour the drinks?" asked a woman from behind them. Picard turned in his seat to see Guinean walk down the ramp. Riker gave up his seat for her and she took it with thanks.

"I knew you would stay" Picard said, then tapped a button on his chair arm. "Picard to all hands. You know our orders are to go to the Roddenberry system and complete a full survey of the planet and system there. We are not going to do that however. There is a former member of this crew being held by Romulans in a prison. I am violating direct orders from Starfleet Command and taking the _Enterprise_ into Romulan space to get her out. Anyone who wishes to object may do so now, it will be noted in my log" and Picard waited for anyone to call the bridge and object. Nobody did so, and Picard was proud of his crew that nobody found it odd that their Captain wanted to go to Romulan space.

"Ready for departure" Ro said from her place at Helm.

"Ahead one quarter impulse power until we are clear, then plot a course to leave the Solar System at full impulse" Picard ordered, and the _Enterprise_ moved forwards and left the spider web of McKinley Station heading towards where she could engage her power Warp Drive.

"Picard to Engineering" Picard said, pressing a button on his chair arm. "How is our newest upgrade, Geordi?" he asked.

"_It should be operational by the time we reach the border_" LaForge reported over the intercom.

"No sooner?" Picard asked his Chief Engineer.

"_That _is_ the soonest I can get it done_" LaForge replied.

"Let me know when it is done. Picard out" and Picard closed the channel.

"Captain?" it was Data.

"Yes, Mr Data" Picard said.

"We are receiving a message from Starfleet" the android said.

"Really?" Picard was surprised that a message had been received so quickly.

"Yes Captain. The message is simply for us to conduct radiological sweeps of the Roddenberry system" if Data was human, then he would have sounded relieved.

"I thought they had discovered what was going on" Picard said to Riker who was stood next to Worf at Tactical.

"I highly doubt it" Riker replied.

"You don't know the black hearted lepers at Starfleet as well as I, Number One" Picard said thickly.

"We have cleared the boundary for Warp speed" Ro reported, checking her console to confirm her statement.

"Set course bearing 186 mark 243.090" Picard ordered, "And engage at Warp 8" and Ro did as she was ordered. All over the ship, the crew of the _Enterprise_ prepared the ship for major combat operations. Picard was left wondering if by the time he got back, he would be arrested – assuming they got out of this alive. The course he had given was a system close to the Romulan border, but not close enough for the Romulan sensor network to detect them. Once they had arrived, the Captain would order a full systems report and then they would activate their newest upgrade. Data and Geordi came up with an idea to get more power to the Phasers without any modifications to the power systems. As there was only a Starfleet crew plus Guinean on board, the cabins and spaces used by the Civilian staff on the _Enterprise_ could be turned off and power diverted to the Phasers and Shields.

#

As the Enterprise slipped into Warp, in another part of the galaxy a cell door opened. The woman inside flung herself to the furthest wall and as a Romulan entered and put a try down on the floor.

"Here is your meal, Natasha" he spoke, and then the Romulan left. The woman he had called Yar sniffed at the Tray then wolfed down the food like it was her last ever meal.


	3. Rescues and Battles

The _Enterprise_ hurtled on through space and the crew continued working on the ship. Every weapon system and shield array was inspected for any sign of damaged components, and these got replaced straight away before they arrived at their stop off point. Geordi and Data worked on the "Upgrade" and they hoped to get it installed before they arrived so they could get extra testing in. Picard, Riker and Worf discussed tactics over the actual rescue. Even in the 24th Century they had to drop the shields in order to activate the transporter, so the three officers had to plan the operation to the second. As a result, Ro actually had the Conn, which made her pleased. Not many Ensigns got to do that after all, and Ro had the ships sensors scan for any Starfleet or Federation ships nearby. Nothing was within range but Ro kept the sensors scanning for anything that might give away their position to ships that might stop them. As she sat in Picard's seat, she thought about the things that had brought her here. Ro Laren decided to do all she could to help repay the trust that Picard had placed in her. The Ensign at helm reported that they had arrived at the system the Captain had ordered them to go to.

"Bridge to Captain Picard" Ro called to the computer.

"_Picard here_" Picard's voice called out.

"We have arrived at the Shatner System" Ro reported.

"_I'm on my way_" Picard said and he closed the channel. A few minutes later and he was on the bridge with the most of the senior staff. Ro stood up and took her place at the helm and gave a report to the Captain.

"We are in the systems Oort Cloud but systems are at 100 percent power" she said.

"Very well" Picard said. "Picard to Engineering. Are we ready to proceed, Geordi?" he asked.

"_Ready and awaiting your orders, Captain_" Geordi answered from the engine room.

"I'm not going to use it at the moment, but have people standing by to activate it when I give the word" Picard said.

"_Aye sir_" and Geordi closed the link.

"Run a full sensor sweep of the surrounding area up to the Romulan border. I want to know where the Romulan fleet is located at this moment" Picard ordered. Data worked with Worf in order to maximise their efforts and they soon reported that the closest Romulan ship as at least 10 light years away from the border and would take at least an hour to get to the border. Picard was silent for a long time before turning to his chair's console.

"What are you doing, Captain?" Riker asked.

"I'm deactivating the _Enterprise_'s transponder so Starfleet can not detect us" Picard replied.

"A sensible plan" Worf said from behind them. "We should be able to detect any ship coming out of cloak and get a weapons lock before it can attack us" the Klingon added.

"Very well" Picard said. "Open a shipwide channel" he ordered.

"Done" Worf said.

"Attention all hands – this is the Captain speaking. We are about to cross into Romulan space which is a treaty violation. This ship could be heavily damaged if not destroyed and we will be lucky to get away from this at all. The _Enterprise_ will be going directly to the planet where we believe the officer is being held. I want everyone ready to do their duty and to their very best" Picard paused before giving the order. "Red Alert! All hands to battle stations!" and the klaxons sounded over the ship and the shields came on and weapons came up to full power – boosted by the extra power from unused cabins and workspaces. Worf muted the alarms after a minute and reported that all decks where at Battle Stations.

"_All systems at full power_" Geordi said in a message to Picard's screen.

"Ensign Ro, set course for the Belonday system and engage at maximum warp" the captain ordered.

"Aye sir" Ro said, and she sent the ship hurtling through the system regardless of the possible damage it could do to the planets. In less then ten minutes, they had crossed the border and entered the Neutral Zone and a few minutes entered Romulan space itself.

"Scan for ships" Riker ordered.

"No ships in the immediate area" Data reported. "There is a Romulan freighter but it has not detected us" he said after a moment consulting his board.

"Distance to planetary system" Picard asked.

"Ten light years" Ro said.

"Steady as she goes. Maintain course and speed" Picard said.

"Steady as she goes, aye" Ro said. Half an hour passed as they hurtled through space and towards the Planet where Natasha Yar was being held. All of the bridge crew looked at the viewscreen as if they could detect Romulan warbirds when the sensors could not.

"Captain!" Data suddenly called out, "Four Romulan ships on an intercept course" and Picard swore under his breath.

"Time to intercept?" he asked.

"Five minutes ten seconds" Worf said from tactical.

"Merde" Picard said. "How long until we reach the system?" he asked Ro.

"Sixty seconds to the edge of the system" the Bajoran said back to him.

"Bring us out of warp directly next to the planet" Picard ordered, then he turned to his first officer. "Get your team together Will" he said, "And good luck" and Riker nodded before sprinting to the turbolift with Data on his heels. Ro brought the ship to a stop directly above the planet and Worf lowered the shields just enough for O'Brian to transport the away team down to the surface. Once the shields where back up, Picard had Ro move the _Enterprise_ into the sun's radiation zone to mask them from the sensors of the Romulan ships. It also meant that the shields went down so they had no defence if weapons went down.

#

"Got that bastard!" said a security man as a Romulan guard went down to Phaser fire.

"Lets go" Riker called, and they progressed down the dark, damp and dismal corridors of the prison where they believed their objective was located. They had just turned a corner when they where pinned down by Disrupter fire by newly arrived guards. Riker and Data tried to pick them off, and succeeded in parts, but couldn't do that all the time as there was simply too many of them. Splitting into two teams, Data and two security man crossed over to the over side of the corridor and they two groups commenced cross fire shooting and took all the guards down. Two of the Starfleet officers had been hit by fire, but neither was seriously injured. In a display of human like anger, Data simply blew the lock off and the door to the cell opened. Inside was a haggard, dirty, broken woman who they all certainly knew.

"Tasha?" Riker whispered as they saw Yar crouched against the far wall. "It's us from the _Enterprise_…" his voice trailed off as he saw just how badly the Romulans had treated her. "Get people watching the corridors for Romulans coming here. Use Tricorders to scan for them, and don't bother to stun them… Just get them bastards" and Data nodded and moved off to take care of it. Riker put a hand on Tasha Yar's shoulder but the woman just flinched away as much as she could. Riker couldn't understand what she had gone through over the years, and he hoped that whoever had helped do this would end up on the end of a Federation weapon system.

"We have secured the area, Commander" Data called into the cell. "I am now sending the signal to the _Enterprise_" and he pressed one particular button on his Tricorder several times.

#

"Send to _Enterprise_. We stand ready to assist you. Captain Sulu, _USS Excelsior_" said the oriental female captain.

#

"Captain!" Worf's voice seemed loud over the silence of the Bridge. "We are receiving the signal from Commander Riker and Commander Data" and Picard could detect with certainty that Worf was relieved – though the Klingon wouldn't admit that to most people.

"Helm set the direct course to Dagga II Maximum Velocity. Picard to Engineering. Geordi? Activate the upgrade – We're going in" he said over the comm link.

"Device activated" Geordi said, and the lights dimmed for a split second. The _Enterprise_ had just activated a Cloaking Device that was based on the one Captain Kirk had stolen from a Romulan ships decades before. It might not be the same type the Romulans now used, but Picard hoped it would do the job.

"Helm, engage warp drive. Mr Worf. The moment we drop out of Warp and de-cloak, prepare to fire on my command" Picard said. The ship jumped from a standing stop to Warp 9.999. This was more then the designers had intended _Enterprise_ to ever do, but they had reached this speed on their first mission. It only took less then 30 seconds for the Galaxy Class Starship to arrive at Dagga II, and O'Brian beamed the away team and Tasha Yar up as soon as he could. The moment the shields where up though, the vessel rocked from weapons fire from the Romulan Warbirds coming at them.

"Orders, Captain?" Work asked.

"Return fire!" Picard said.

"With pleasure, Captain" Worf said eagerly. His fingers danced over the console built into the horseshoe behind the command seats, and phasers lanced out and hit the nearest warbird. This was followed by several torpedoes as Ro brought the ship about. The ship shuddered under the impact of Romulan disrupter and phaser fire.

"Report" Picard ordered.

"Shields down to 92 percent" Worf said. "The lead Romulan ship's forward shields are down to 50 percent – recharging though" he added reading the sensor readings.

"Switch to another ship and fire at will" Picard said, as a turbolift's doors opened and out came Riker and Data.

"Glad you could make the party, Will" Picard said.

"Wouldn't miss it for anything, captain" Riker said as he and Data took their rightful places. The ship shuddered under the strain from 3 plasma Torpedoes, and Worf fired on the offending ship with all forward facing weapons. The shields went down and one torpedo went directly into the starboard warp nacelle. The entire nacelle broke apart in a hail of fire and debris.

"Take that" Worf muttered darkly. The _Enterprise_ traded blow for blow with the Romulan warbirds but it was 5 versus 1 and the ship was losing the fight.

"Shields down to 37 percent. Hull breaches on Decks 4, 7, 8 and 21" Data reported.

"Seal those sections and raise emergency forcefields" Riker shouted over the noise of another impact.

"Aft shields down to 15 percent" Worf said.

"Keep our bows to the Romulans" Picard said.

"You better believe it, Captain" Ro said. The Bajoran was now sporting a small cut to her head from when she had been thrown against the bulkhead, but she was perfectly alright all the same. Another hit caused several of the rear workstations to blow out and one crew members was thrown over the horseshoe, and Riker and Troi tended to him.

"Medical team to the bridge" Troi said, tapping her comm badge.

"We have lost aft torpedoes and aft shields" Data said. "Hull integrity is at 68 percent" he said after another impact from Romulan weapons.

"We have to cut the odds down" Picard said. "Mr Worf. Target the warp disabled warbird and fire a full spread of torpedoes at the core itself. Keep our aft quarter away from Romulan targeting solutions" he ordered.

"Hull breach on Decks 15 through 19" Data said, "sections 34 and 35".

"Seal off those areas and vent them to space" Riker ordered as the medical team removed the crew member from the bridge.

"Done Commander" Data said.

"Weapons locked on target" Worf said.

"Fire!" Picard shouted and phasers and torpedoes lanced out hit the ship that the _Enterprise_ first hit, and hit their targets. With a sudden white, blinding light the ship was gone in a massive explosion that rocked the _Enterprise_. It knocked most members of the bridge off their feet or out of their seats. The exceptions being Picard, Data and Worf who held onto something solid in time. "Report" Picard said, as new alarms went off from consoles.

"The explosion has destroyed the two flanking warbirds" Data said. "One of the other warbirds has lost main power and is no longer a threat at this time" he said after a moments pause.

"Forwards shields are at 25 percent" Worf said. "We have lost our dorsal phaser banks" he added.

"_LaForge to Bridge. We can't take another round of plasma torpedoes or we will suffer serious damage_" Geordi sounded a bit horse, and Picard wondered if his Chief Engineer was alright.

"Do what you can to get our shields back up to at least 50 percent" Picard ordered.

"Aye Aye, sir. LaForge out" and the link was gone. Smoke was beginning to fill the bridge and Picard had the ventilation grid set to full.

"Captain!" Ro called out from helm. "I'm picking up three more ships coming in at high warp speeds" and Picard swore very fluently. Worf was impressed to say the least – the Captain had just done a few ancient Klingon obscenities while swearing.

"What type?" he asked her while looking at the flickering viewscreen.

"I can't say at the moment" Ro replied, "I have lost some long range sensor capability".

"Prepare to fire on the new arrivals" Picard ordered.

"We are being hailed" Worf said, "It is the Romulan ship to starboard" he added quickly.

"Put it on screen" Picard said. The image of a Romulan Commander came onto the screen and stared at him.

"You are the _Enterprise_?" asked the Commander.

"We are" Picard said, "I am Captain Jean Luc Picard" he continued.

"You are ordered to lower you shields and prepare to be boarded by order of the Romulan Empire" the Commander said.

"You mean to board us?" Picard asked.

"You have broken the treaty regulations. You will now be tried for your crimes against the empire" the Romulan said, looking at Picard fixedly.

"Before I do that, I have a message for you" Picard said.

"And what is that?" asked the Commander with a hint of amusement.

"Go to hell!" and Picard cut the channel off. "Divert all power to the forward shields and prepare to fire all weapons on my command. If we have to go down, then let's take them sons of bitches down with us"

"Weapons ready to fire on your command" Worf said – eager to kill more Romulans.

"All available power has been diverted to forward shields" Data said. "Shields are now at 56 percent" he reported.

"That'll do" Picard said darkly. "Helm? Lay in a course bearing 000 mark 000 by 0. Full Impulse power" and Ro hesitated before complying with the order.

"Collision course set" she said quietly.

"Engage" Picard said. The battered and damaged ship surged forward on one last mission to ram the Romulan warbird. The other ship started firing everything at the _Enterprise_ and the forward shields went down and the hull started to buckle badly and breached in some places.

"Captain" Data said over the klaxons and alarms. "The Calvary has arrived" he said as he read the ID tags on the three incoming ships.

"What?" Picard yelled.

"The ships are the _USS Calvary_, _USS Victorious_ and _USS Excelsior_" the android said.

"Ro!" Picard shouted at her, not bothering about the fact he hadn't said Ensign before her name. "Take us 500 meters down quickly!" and the Helm officer did as she was told.

The ship tilted forward and flew under the warbird as she got out of the way of a barrage of torpedoes and phaser blasts. Worf fired everything that came to bear and even beamed the torpedoes from the aft launcher next to the Romulan vessel and then detonated them like mines. The ship exploded and was utterly destroyed with debris spinning away from the blossoming cloud of what had been several hundred people. The shock wave threw everyone off their feet all over the ship, and consoles and parts of the ship started to smoke as systems overloaded themselves. The intercom was filled with damage reports and Picard had Worf turn it down to a low hum.

"Report" Picard croaked.

"The following systems are offline" Data said. "Shields, weapons, life support on some decks, centre impulse drive unit, fire suppression system on decks 6 to 18" he listed. "We also have hull breaches on multiple decks and sections all over the ship" the android listed.

"Do we have warp?" asked Picard, not believing that they had got away from this with the ship still together – more or less.

"Our warp drive is damaged, but we can managed Warp 3" Ro said, tapping the Helm console.

"Casualties?" Picard asked, dreading the answer.

"Multiple injuries, but no crew members have died" Data said, consulting a report sent to him by Sickbay.

"We where damned lucky" Riker said.

"There is one critical injury however" Data went on. "Lt Barclay has sustained serious burns and multiple internal injuries. Sickbay reports he got crewmen out of a damaged section before it collapsed on him" and from his side at Helm, Ro gasped in shock and gripped her console very hard indeed.

"Ensign Ro. I take it you are in a relationship with Lt Barclay?" Picard asked.

"Yes, sir" Ro said.

"You better get down there" Picard said.

"Aye, sir" Ro said, "Thank you sir" and she bounded to the turbolift near Picard's ready room.

"Just a minute, Ensign" Picard said, and Ro spun on her heel to face him. "Data, beam her directly to sickbay" and Ro looked grateful at the captain before she was beamed directly to sickbay.

"Shall I take her place?" Riker asked, but Picard shook his head.

"I'll take it, Number One" he said, slipping into the recently vacated seat. "It is not often I get to take the Helm myself" and he looked round at Worf. "Any messages from the three Starfleet ships?" he asked, and Worf nodded his head.

"The Captain of the _Excelsior_ says that it will cover our withdrawal from Romulan space" Worf passed on the message.

"Signal the ships that we are moving now" Picard said, and he set course for the border and engaged at Warp 3. By the time they has got to the boarder, Geordi had managed to get another Warp factor out of the damaged engines. Once safely on the Federation side of the border, Picard gave the Helm to Riker and ordered a course set directly to Earth – as fast as the _Enterprise_ could manage. The three Starships followed them like guard dogs and escorted them all the way to Sector 001. Picard meanwhile had gone down to Sickbay to see Tasha Yar for himself. As he passed, he saw Ensign Ro holding the hand of Lt Barclay and made a note to deal with that when he had the time. All that mattered now was the fact he got his ship back home and ensured his crew was safe. The waiting Court Martial could be damned all the way to hell. Jean Luc Picard would rather break a hundred regulations before damning his soul. He just hoped he could make a good defence at his trial at Starfleet Command.


	4. Another Battle And A Shock

Picard slipped into a small room off the main Sickbay area, and froze as he saw the state Tasha Yar was in. She was dressed in medical garb and lying on a biobed with Nurses fussing over her with Beverley giving orders.

"How is she?" asked Picard gently.

"I had to sedate her the moment she got here" Crusher said. "She is going to need months if not years of psychiatric help to get over what happened to her" and Picard could see that the Doctor was almost in tears as was some of the medical staff.

"Do what you can" Picard said, putting a hand on her should in comfort. "How is Mr Barclay?" he asked, leading her out of the room and over to where Ro was still holding Barclay's hand.

"He suffered burns over a large percentage of his body, and got a few seconds of vacuum exposure" Crusher said.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Ro in a quiet and fearful voice.

"I can't say for certain, but I will do my very best" Crusher promised. "I just hope his blood wasn't badly infected from the plasma leak" she added.

"If it helps, then you can have some of mine" Ro said.

"I'm sure Reg would thank you for that offer" Crusher said, and gave the Bajoran woman a reassuring smile.

"There is a matter of business to be solved" Picard said. "Relationships between lower ranking officers is forbidden" he said to Ro.

"I know, Captain. I am sorry I failed you" Ro said, hanging her head in shame.

"That is why I am granting you a promotion to Lt as of now" Picard stuck out his hand. "Congratulations, Lt Ro" he said.

"Thank you, sir" Ro said. There might well have been more to say, but there was a shudder felt through the deck plating. Picard froze for a moment, and then tapped his badge.

"Picard to Bridge. Status report!"

'_Riker here, Captain. Our escorts are engaged with four Romulan warbirds which have followed us back from their space. One got through the line and has started shooting at us. Shields are up but only at 67 percent_' Riker said as the ship lurched to avoid weapons fire.

"I'm on my way. Picard out" and Picard ran out of sickbay for the nearest turbolift. Ro hesitated for several long and painful moments before leaning down to hiss Barclay's forehead.

"See you later" she whispered and then followed the Captain out and up to the bridge.

"We could spare you, Laren" he said, using the Bajoran way of saying Ro's names.

"My place is on the bridge, sir" Ro said, "And there isn't anything I can do to help anyway. I know that Reg is in safe hands with Doctor Crusher" she added, rubbing the bridges on her nose tiredly. The turbolift reached the bridge to a scene or ordered chaos, and the two officers rushed to their places.

"Status report" Picard ordered.

"Four Romulan ships followed us under cloak from Dagga II, and they have just opened fire on us" Riker said. "Our escorts are engaged with a warbird each, but one got through their perimeter line to attack us" he added.

"What is our tactical status?" asked Picard to Worf.

"Not good" the Klingon replied, "We have shields upto 67 percent, but aft torpedo launcher is still disabled. We do have the forward launcher and forward phasers online and are fully operational" he reported as they ship took another hit.

"Signal our escorts that we are going to engage the warbird attacking us, Data" Picard said.

"Aye, Captain" Data replied and sent the message while dealing with sensor input. This meant that Worf was free to track the Romulan ships and fire on them.

"Bring the ship about" Picard said, "And prepare to engage the enemy" and Ro turn the _Enterprise_ and missed several Romulan torpedoes at the same time. "Mr Worf, fire as you bear" Picard ordered and he watched as Worf sent beams of phaser energy dancing over the Romulan's shields. As a reply to that, the Romulan vessel fired it's disrupters at them and the ship shook violently.

"Shields down to 55 percent" Data said.

"How is our escort doing?" Riker asked while looking at reports coming up to the console in front of him.

"They are engaged with all three Romulan vessels" Data said, "The _Cavalry_ has sustained damage to its port shield emitters, but the ship it is attacking has lost it's main disrupters and phasers are partly damaged" the android said.

"Signal that we need help" Picard said.

"One moment" Data said, updating the information he had just given out. Meanwhile Ro had spun the ship on its X axis and Worf fired phasers and torpedoes at the same time and caused the warbird's shields to flicker as they drained in strength. "One of the vessels has been destroyed but I am currently unable to determine which. The detonation of Anti-Matter is clouding my sensors at this time" he said calmly.

"Worf, target our ship's warp drive and plan target from when we get behind them" Picard said.

"Aye Aye" Worf said, and understood what Picard was planning. Romulan warbirds had a weakness in their aft shields due to the way their impulse drive was bled off. Ro dodged shot after shot until she could manoeuvre the _Enterprise_ into the correct position.

"Fire" Picard said and Worf sent a full spread of torpedoes directly into the aft section of the Romulans. The shields flickered and then flared as they went down and Worf followed up with a devastating barrage of phaser fire which destroyed parts of the warbird's hull and penetrated the inside. Huge clouds of oxygen spewed forth from the warbird and Worf stopped the phaser attack. The warbird tumbled for several seconds and then shakily recovered itself. It slowly spun around and headed away from the _Enterprise_ and back towards Romulan space at full impulse power.

"That went well" Riker said.

"I suspect we damaged them badly, Number One" Picard said to his first officer. "And let's see to our damage. Picard to Engineering. Damage report, Geordi" he asked, calling down to the engine room.

'_We have sustained damage to our shield emitters. They will need a complete replacement when we get back to drydock_' Geordi said over the comm channel. '_We've lost power to several sections all over the ship, and we've only got Warp 2. Impulse is down to one half_" Geordi listed other more minor details of damage and by the time it was done, it seemed they had got out of it with the skin of their teeth.

"Do what work you can until we can get back to drydock" Picard said.

'_We'll make orbit around Earth, even if I have to get out and push_' Geordi assured him.

"You've earned your pay, Geordi. Picard out" and the Captain ordered a course set to Earth at best possible speed. The other Romulan ships had backed off and retreated over the border to their space in various states of damage. Ro found the ship a little sluggish as it entered warp, and sent a message down to engineering to have them check it out.

'_Sickbay to bridge. We've just finished operating on Lt Barclay, and he is out of danger and recovering nicely. Our other injured are resting in their quarters but I have kept Tasha in_' Beverley Crusher gave her report. '_I sent a full list of casualties to your console_, _Crusher out_' and Picard scanned the reports and found the one he was looking for. He glanced up to see Ro as pale as Data, and she concentrated on her console.

"Lt Ro, take this casualty list to sickbay, then you may finish your shift early" Picard said, crossing to the Helm and handing her a Padd. Instead of a list, it had a simple message

_See Lt Barclay_

"Yes, Captain" Ro said, and took the Padd and left the bridge at a run.

"When did you promote her to Lt?" asked Riker as the _Calvary_, _Victorious_ _Excelsior_ took up positions around _Enterprise_, and watched over the ship as it limped back to Earth.

"Regulations, Will" Picard answered. "Couldn't have Barclay up on charges could I?" he asked, "So I simply promoted Ro to Lt, which she was due for if she hadn't been put in the stockade".

As they got closer to the Solar System, a message came from Starfleet Command telling Picard that he faced a full Court Marital once he had arrived back in orbit around Earth. After talking to the senior staff, Picard knew that he faced valid charges on violating direct orders from his superiors. What Picard did not know was who had sent the ships that had provided cover for their escape. The Captain's main concern was what would happen to him. He would either be cleared of all charges or be drummed out of the service, and it wasn't a prospect he enjoyed thinking about. On the two day journey back to Earth Picard looked in on Tasha Yar, but Crusher kept her sedated for the entire trip. Beverley wanted to use the superior facilities of a ground base medical facility in order to treat all the damage the Romulans had given Yar. All things considered, Picard was lucky that there wasn't now a war with them after crossing the border without permission to have done so. Picard was in his preparing for his trial when Data called him on the intercom to tell him they would be docking shortly. Picard took the turbolift and entered the bridge for what might have been the last time as a Starfleet officer.

"Status?" he asked.

"We are approaching Spacedock" Data said.

"Very well" Picard said and he slipped into his chair. "Mr Worf, open a channel" he ordered and Worf complied.

"Channel open" he rumbled.

"Spacedock, this is _Enterprise_ requesting permission to dock" Picard said.

"_Permission to dock granted, _Enterprise. _You are cleared for Bay 34_" said a ghostly voice of a controller, "_Please prepare for guidance tractor beams_" the voice said.

"Thank you control" Picard smirked, "But _Enterprise_ will dock itself. Good Afternoon, Spacedock. _Enterprise_ out" and he gestured to Worf who cut off the control towers response.

"Captain" Data spoke, "Starfleet regulations require all Starships to be guided by tractor beams" and Picard laughed at the android who did not understand humans even after serving with them for so long.

"After breaking so many regulations, Data, I do not think that I am in deeper trouble for docking manually" he said, and crossed over to helm and relieved the Ensign who was there. The doors to space dock had already opened and Picard powered the ship inside the gigantic space station before the docking master could close them again. Once inside the massive cavern that comprised the docking spaces, Picard looked on the console and plotted the way towards Bay 39 and steered the ship manually past other starships and avoided the little flyers and shuttlecraft that crossed _Enterprise_'s path. Once the _Enterprise_ had reached the correct docking space, Picard stopped the ship and then spun it around 180 degrees and commenced to reverse the flagship of the Federation and Starfleet into its docking bay. After the confrontation with Starfleet Command, Picard didn't really care about something anymore. All he knew was that he had made the right choice and the Admirals could all go to hell for all he cared. Picard tapped his badge to open a channel to the entire ship.

"Attention all hands, this is the Captain. We have now safely berthed in Spacedock for repairs to be carried out. Shore leave for all hands is permitted during out time at Spacedock and McKinley station. Picard out"

"Incoming message from Starfleet Command" Worf said, and it made Picard turn and stand up from Helm.

"What is it Mr Worf?" he asked when he saw that the Klingon was actually fidgeting and wearing an angry expression on his face.

"The message is recorded" Worf said, and only bad things happened when you got a recorded message _after_ you had docked. Picard looked the Klingon in the eye and wondered what the message might have been about.

"Mr Worf, Mr Data. You will remain but I want everyone else to clear the bridge. All senior officers to the bridge on the double" he called, and people left the bridge and it was empty for a short while until the senior staff came. When Ro arrived on the last turbolift, Picard assumed that Barclay was going to be doing alright. Guinan also entered the bridge in the same lift that Ro came on, not that he minded of course. Guinan was the only person he could truly tell what he was thinking to.

"Going to battle the Borg?" asked Riker, trying to raise a smile.

"If only it was that simple, Will" Picard replied. "Worf received a recorded message from Starfleet Command for me. From the look on his face, I do not think that it is going to be good news" he added. The Captain weaved them into seats and Ro automatically went to the helm, but pushed the console away on its swivel arm and crossed her legs. Geordi and Crusher took the small jumps seats either side of Riker and Troi while Guinan simply sat on the horseshoe which ran along the back of the command pit near to Worf stood, and Picard asked Worf to play the message from Starfleet.

_Message is restricted._ The computer intoned, _Please give access code_ it added politely.

"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Access code: Death Star Nebula Seven Two Four Two Constellation" and the computer confirmed the code as being correct. "Begin playback of message on main viewer", he ordered. The screen displayed the official motif of Starfleet and then changed to the visage of Admiral Blackwell.

"_To: Captain Jean-Luc Picard – Commanding _USS Enterprise_. From: Starfleet Command – General Staff._

_Following your actions in taking the _Enterprise_ in to Romulan space without prior permission, attacking, damaging and destroying several Warbirds, it has been decided that your Court Martial will be held in the Federation Chambers in two days time. You will be able to call whomever you wish in order to defend yourself._

_As a result of disobeying the orders of Starfleet Command, you are hereby relieved of command of the_ Enterprise_. You will report to quarters at Starfleet Headquarters and remain on grounds until the trial begins. Starfleet out_".

"The bastards" Riker said as the message left the screen.

"My sentiments exactly, Commander" Ro said, and she and Data turned their seats around to face Picard who was looking very surprised.

"So what now?" asked Geordi, "It isn't as if we can start a protest march outside Headquarters" he shook his head.

"The main thing is for us to support the Captain, and that we testify that we all agreed to help and that we were not ordered to do so" Troi said calmly.

"If I may be excused" Data said, "I will go to my quarters and begin to devise a solution to help the Captain" and he left for the portside turbolift.

"Sir?" Ro started hesitantly, "May I beam down and knock some heads together?" she asked. At the same time as one voice, Geordi, Riker and Worf all spoke.

"Captain. Request permission to join Lt Ro in knocking some heads together" they said in perfect harmony.

"Permission granted" Picard jokingly said.

"What will you do know, Captain?" Crusher asked.

"I'm going to pack some uniforms and then transport down to Headquarters" Picard said.

"If there is anything we can do…" Worf let the sentence go unfinished.

"Thank you, Mr Worf" Picard said, "But I think that Starfleet might take it amiss that the ship keeps a constant transporter lock on me at all times" but Picard thanked Worf all the same. "Number One, the bridge is yours" and Picard stood up, pulled his uniform straight and then walked to the rear turbolift and got in. Just before the doors shut, Guinan slipped inside and they left the bridge together.

"Does anyone know what is going on?" asked Geordi, "With the Captain and Guinan" he clarified.

"Guinan once said something to me when the Captain was turned into a Borg" Riker paused to remember what the dark skinned woman had said. "She said 'Our relationship is beyond friendship and beyond family'. I still don't understand what she means by that" he finished.

"I know that they have a long friendship" Troi said, "The Captain's and Guinan's are the only two minds which I can not read. The only times I have been able to read the Captain's mind has bee when he has wanted me to, or when under great traumatic stress" and there was a moment of quiet before they left the Bridge under the care of the Computer.

#

Picard had talked with Guinan for some time until she left to tend to some personal business. Once he had packed some stuff into a travel case, he stepped through the doors of his quarters and used the turbolift to go to the nearest transporter room. The lift slowed to a stop and opened the doors.

"ATTENTION ON DECK" somebody bellowed and two lines of _Enterprise_ crew members – one on either side of the corridor – snapped to attention as Picard walked down the line. This was reserved only for retiring senior officers or a respected crew member left the ship for a new assignment. The last time Picard had done this was when Worf had left to fight in the Klingon Civil War. The Captain turned into Transport Room 3 and saw his senior staff snap to attention along with Chief O'Brien and an extremely pale looking Lt Barclay. Picard decided that he couldn't see Ro holding his hand, and that it was a trick of the light.

"Thank you" was all that he could manage without letting his emotions show.

"We all plan on attending the Court Martial" Riker said.

"It is our intention to speak on your behalf and tell them what really happened" Data said helpfully.

"Thank you, everyone" Picard said. He looked over the assembled people in the room, and those he could see outside and was proud of his crew. The Captain stood on the transporter pad and nodded at O'Brien to energise. A few seconds later, and Picard had vanish leaving an empty spot.

"DISMISSED!" Riker said into the corridor and the crew broke their lines. The one thought that was shared by everyone on the _Enterprise_ was that Picard was in a lot of trouble. Now the crew had to pull off their biggest mission that they had ever under taken – Save Captain Jean-Luc Picard.


	5. The Court Martial of Captain Picard

The news spread throughout the Federation that Picard was facing a Court Martial over the incident with the Romulans. He got messages of support from many different people including the leader of the Klingon High Council, Gowron. Picard sent a massage back thanking him for the support, but the Captain didn't think that he would need the squadron of K'Tinga cruisers – but thank you anyway. As he was confined to Starfleet areas only, Picard couldn't go into the many restaurants in San Francisco for meals. What he did do was to have it beamed over via the _Enterprise_. When it was time for the trial to begin, Picard was told to wear his dress uniform but he said that he didn't dress in all the pomp to be drummed out – he would go down in a Captain's uniform. A few moments before an escort would arrive to take him to the Federation Council chambers, the sound of a Transporter beam alerted Picard to somebody beaming in. He turned from the windows to see Guinan standing in a deep purple robe with a hat that would have had a Vulcan admit defied logic in size.

"What are you doing here?" Picard asked her.

"You could do with some friendly support" Guinan replied, voice smooth as always and clutching a small stack of Padds.

"I would say that my chances of getting free have gone up" Picard said to her.

"We've been researching the times you disobeyed orders to do the right thing, and we think that we can use them" Guinan said, and the doors to his suite opened and two Starfleet security officers came in.

"We're here to take you to the chambers" said the Lieutenant. "You will have to either leave or go to the public spaces in the chambers" he said to Guinan.

"Guinan is my councillor" Picard said quickly thinking of an excuse.

"Very well" the Lieutenant said, and he and the Ensign with him escorted Picard and Guinan to Picard's Court Martial.

#

Picard and Guinan entered the chambers of the Federation Council and came to a desk and two chairs put there for their use. Guinan sat down while Picard stood at attention and waited for the judges to enter. As per regulations, there was an Admiral and three command level officers as the panel. It took Picard a few moments before he recognised the Admiral as Admiral Gromak. It was Admiral Gromak who had given Picard Top Secret orders to intercept a probe containing Kelar. Apart from that, the two did not get on very well and Picard's hopes faded a little bit.

"This Court Martial is being held to investigate the incident concerning the actions of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and his taking of the _USS Enterprise_ into Romulan space without prior authorisation" Gromak said. He put the Padd he was reading from down and told Picard to sit. "I assume this lady is your councillor?" he asked.

"I am" Guinan said with a nod of her head.

"Very well" Gromak said. "In compliance with regulations, three officers of command rank have been brought here. Captain Pierce of the _USS Nova_, Captain Chandra of Starfleet Support and Captain Hunt of the _Andromeda Ascendant_" Gromak looked at Picard before speaking once again. "Do you object to any of these officers serving on this panel?" he asked.

"No, Sir" Picard said.

"Very well" the Admiral replied. "The charges stand thus: Disobeying the orders of a superior officer, Crossing the Neutral Zone without permission, Attacking Romulans on the surface of Dagga II, Attacking Romulan ships without an act of war being declared, Destroying Romulan ships without an act of war being declared and Hijacking of the _USS Enterprise_. Do you wish to dispute these charges?" Gromak asked, and Guinan said that Picard did not.

"We wish to begin" she said, and Gromak called the first testifier. - Admiral Alynna Nechayev.

"Tell us what happened from the moment you received Captain Picard's request" Gromak said.

"I told him that it was not possible to rescue Lt Yar assuming that the information he had received was accurate" Nechayev said primly.

"The information that Captain Picard presented to you," Guinan said, "Was it verified in anyway?" she asked.

"It was verified through a single report concerning supplies sent to a Romulan planet" the Admiral said.

"Did you consider having Starfleet Intelligence investigate?" Guinan pressed.

"It would have been a waste of resources" Nechayev said, looking at Guinan with a glare.

"And who would have made that decision?" Guinan asked.

"That was my choice" Nechayev answered, "I was recently appointed head of Starfleet Intelligence" she added.

"Starfleet Intelligence?" somebody said, "That's a contradiction of terms" and Gromak banged his gavel.

"Silence" he thundered, "Or I will eject those not ambassadors" and Picard smiled as he recognised the voice of one of Worf's security officers. He whispered something to Guinan who nodded an understanding.

"Do you like Captain Picard?" she asked the Admiral Nechayev.

"That doesn't matter" she snapped, "Whether I like a Captain or not has no bearing in this Court Martial" and Gromak agreed.

"Desist from this point, Madam" he said addressing Guinan. The dark skinned woman smiled at the Court Martial panel and told them that she was making a point that needed to be made.

"I wish to point out that Admiral Nechayev ordered these charges brought against Captain Picard because he has disobeyed orders before. In fact when he has done so, it has saved the Federation. A number of years ago," she went on, "There was a takeover of key personal, On Stardate 45077.8 Admiral Kennelly ordered Picard to find the terrorist leader Orta and stop him by any means – and yet he didn't _and_ exposed the Admiral's secret plans with the Cardassians. He also was ordered to crate a virus and infect the Borg with it on Stardate 45854.2, but he could not do so because of individuality of the Borg known as 'Hugh'. Now what happened to Captain Picard afterwards in all of those cases?" Guinan asked both the panel and Nechayev.

"He was not reprimanded because he was the senior officer on the spot" Nechayev said, "Picard was given information that made it possible to change the plan, and then to do what he thought was best" she finished.

"I see" Guinan said. Once Nechayev was dismissed many of the _Enterprise_'s crew was called to give evidence and the case for Picard was going to be a draw if that was a possible thing. The Captains of the _USS Calvary_, _USS Victorious_ and _USS Excelsior_ all testified that they had been patrolling near the Neutral Zone when they received Sensor data about the _Enterprise_'s arrival at the Shatner System, and when they saw it disappear off the sensors, all three Captains had known what was about to happen. They had picked up messages between _Enterprise_ and Starfleet Command asking for urgent permission to go in and rescue Natasha Yar. Captain Demora Sulu had conferred with the other two ships in her fleet and sent a message to Picard offering assistance.

"What was the exact message content?" asked Gromak.

"I ordered, 'Send to _Enterprise_. We Stand Ready To Assist You. Captain Sulu _USS Excelsior_' and an hour later we entered Romulan space to provide assistance" Demora Sulu looked every bit as elegant as her father had been.

"You do know that you could be brought up on the same charges as Captain Picard?" Guinan said to her.

"Yes, Ma'am" Sulu replied, "But I always believed it better to betray my country then my friends" and Picard smiled as he remembered that that was exactly what her father had said to his Science Officer during the emergency dash to Kithomer to render aid to the _Enterprise-A_.

"I think that things are looking up" Picard said. His longest friend nodded and then Gromak informed the watching officers and members of the public that there would be a break until a verdict could be decided upon. In the meantime, Picard was free to return to his ship – the orders for him to stay on Starfleet grounds being in error. Picard beamed directly up to the _Enterprise_ and into Ten-Forward. The crew had already been informed to stay away from the area, so it was just Picard's close friends who were sat in the bar having a few quiet drinks. It was the middle of the ship's afternoon when Picard was told to report to the Council Chambers – they had reached a verdict.

#

Picard came to attention in full dress uniform with all of his senior crew, Barclay and Guinan stood behind him in a show of force. For added affect, Worf had brought along his dress Bat'Leth which had intimidated several of the officers on guard duty at the Council Chamber entrance. Picard and his crew waited for the return of the Court Martial Panel, and when they did, the face of Admiral Gromak was unreadable.

"We are now in session" he said formally for the record. "Captain Jean-Luc Picard, step forward please" Gromak added and Picard took three steps forward.

"Admiral" the Captain said.

"Captain Picard, we have discussed the many implications of what took place. You violated the Chain of Command and took the flagship of the Federation into Romulan space" Gromak paused to look at one of Starfleet's most senior and respected Captains. "What was not taken into account was the fact that Lt Yar was or is a member of Starfleet and that taking her was in providing assistance to the Klingon outpost on Narenda III. It was the failure of Starfleet to recognise that Lt Yar was to be rescued. As the senior officer on the spot, you did what you thought best and followed the command chain and reported it to your superiors. However they failed to grasp the seriousness of what happened, and so you went and did carried out the rescue yourself" Gromak paused to take some, or possibly to add drama. "You did it with the loss of no members of your crew and indeed evacuated the civilians off the _Enterprise_ before leaving McKinley Station. What you and your crew did was in the highest traditions of Starfleet and of the service to your crew" Gromak stopped speaking and looked at his Padd before resuming one more and final time. "It is the judgement of the Court Martial session that you be cleared of all charges, be allowed to return to command _USS Enterprise_ and that you and your crew be given commendations and notes placed in each and everyone of your service jackets. Court Martial dismissed" this last was to the court at large as he and the panel left the Council Chambers. The cheers were so loud it was later said to have been picked up by several shuttle sensors that where passing overhead at that exact moment – Picard had no doubt it might be possible.

"Congratulations" Guinan said, taking his hand and letting her feelings pass to him.

"Thank you" he said warmly and gratefully. "Thank you all" he said to his crew.

"Well, Zeus" Riker said to Picard, "We have your chariot ready for you" and Picard puzzledly followed his crew out to the shuttlecraft which was waiting outside the main building at Headquarters. It was on the number one spot which was reserved for the use of Admirals. Picard smiled as he, his crew and Guinan boarded it and returned to _Enterprise_. The shuttle approached the orbiting starship from the front, making a traditional "Downwind Inspection" passage and then it swung round and landed deftly in Shuttle Bay 1.

"ATTENTION ON DECK!" said a voice and the waiting crew members snapped to attention and saluted in the old Earth sailing manner which Picard returned. The next day, Picard went to visit Natasha Yar and found that she was doing quite well for somebody who had gone through her ordeal. The two talked for almost five hours in Picard's quarters while the ship headed to the Roddenbury System to undertake the 'Postponed' mapping and survey mission. The captain was now glad that his family was complete, and that Natasha could heal from her trauma.

"I am glad of one thing" Tasha said to him.

"What's that?" Riker had asked when Tasha was on the bridge to see everything going on.

"Think of all the back pay I'm owed!" and the entire bridge erupted into laughter.

"Lt Ro, set course for the bank… Maximum Warp" Picard chuckled.

"Aye sir!" Ro snapped and pretended to tap buttons on her console. The Bajoran was practically happy that in a few weeks time, she would be getting married to Reg Barclay. After asking the captain to marry them, Ro and Reg had both gone to Guinan and asked her to be Matron of Honour – Guinan had accepted at once and put Ten-Forward at their disposal.

**A/N:**

**That's that then, another fic finished and another fine one – If I may say so!**

**I do have a semi sequel to this where Ro and Reg get married, but that will have to wait until I finish off my other outstanding fics.**

**References:**

**The names of the Admirals and the Captains at the cm are all from Star Trek (Chandra was at Kirk's Court Martial), except for that of Captain Hunt – who is from a different GR franchise. A Captain Pierce can be heard in the battle audio in ST: First Contact. The Stardates listed are accurate to the episode details mentioned.**

**Hope you liked the fic, and hope to see you all soon – Bye**

**Regards:**

**Pixel**


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